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Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is among the most widely used multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods that have been employed by researchers in various scientific areas all over the world to find the most appropriate solutions for complex and multivariable problems. Despite the popularity of this method, there is no scientometric study on AHP applications in the literature. To fill this gap, the present study aims to present a scientometric analysis on the use of AHP for various applications, in general, and particularly for making the best decisions when dealing with urban management. Current scientific trends in this area were also identified and presented through an in-depth analysis of the findings regarding contributing countries, journals and authors. In addition, the main keywords introduced to the field and the existing categories were explored and identified. Results demonstrated that out of the 37,000 scientific works (including journal articles, proceedings, books, etc.) published so far on the employment of AHP in various fields, only 7% contributed to the urban affair management issues, whilst China and Iran hold the highest share. Results also indicated that AHP has been efficiently combined with Geographic Information System (GIS) to address the scientific needs in this area. This paper also provides recommendations for relevant future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]